CO129-539-2 Nguyen ai Quoc- arrangements for deportation 29-1-1932 - 31-1-1933 — Page 33

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2. In the following August however the receipt

of your telegrams Nos. 103 and 113 indicated some mistake

and although its exact nature was not understood, its

existence and the actual facts regarding your instructions

were communicated in guarded terms to Nguyen's solicitors

who passed them on to Messrs. Light & Fulton in equally

guarded terms. They also told Nguyen himself and from

that time he abandoned all idea of going to England and

concentrated on an endeavour to reach Vladivostok.

3. Here again serious difficulties arose. Nguyen

would not trust himself on any but a Soviet ship

proceeding direct to Vladivostok and such ships do not

call at Hong Kong. An endeavour was made to arrange

for him to proceed under surveillance to Singapore, but

the Government of the Straits Settlements found themselves

unable to concur. Finally Nguyen's solicitors were told

that their client must be out of the Colony on or before

the 15th January to which date I had extended the time

limit by order under Section 6 (1)(c) of the Ordinance

and that he would be freed from custody and

surveillance a few days before that date in order that

he might depart with as much secrecy as he could devise.

After much argument it was arranged that he should be

fetched from the Prison hospital in a car by a Cadet

Officer attached to the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs

on the afternoon of the 28th December and released in

the streets, on the clear understanding that after the

15th January he remained in the Colony at his peril.

This scheme was duly carried out but on the 15th

January information was given to the police by the

French Consul to the effect that Nguyen had been to

Singapore and was then on his way back to Hong Kong and

on